Goldfields business owners confident resilient spirit of locals will shine through after Nickel West shutdown

While BHP’s decision to shutter its WA Nickel business will have far-reaching effects across the Goldfields, local business owners are confident the community can weather the storm. BHP announced on Thursday it will begin suspending operations at the Kalgoorlie smelter and its major mines at Mt Keith and Leinster from October. The company said WA Nickel operations would be temporarily suspended until at least February 2027, when it will then review the decision. Local mining services business Goldfields NDT completed compliance testing at Nickel West’s Kalgoorlie smelter, Kambalda concentrator and Mt Keith operation. The company also supported fabrication contractors who worked with the Nickel West arm. Director Dirk de Beer said although 10 per cent of the company’s workload was associated with BHP’s nickel operations, Goldfields NDT was in a “fortunate” position, with high demand for their services from local gold producers and mining operations in the region. “Previously the (workload) was so much that we actually had to say no to other clients, whereas now we can have an opportunity to start saying yes to . . . service them,” he said. The business offers non-destructive testing and quality assurance involving analysis of materials and structures for defects without causing damage to the original part. BHP said it will continue to invest about $450 million annually in the nickel facilities to enable a potential re-start. Mr de Beer said BHP’s announcement might not be “all doom and gloom” for Goldfields contractors as some fabrication companies and mining services still might be engaged by the mining giant. “BHP has committed to still maintain their assets for a (potential) startup . . . which would still require the services from (Goldfields NDT) and some of the fabrication shops,” he said. “It might still be fine (for contractors), it’s the processing side of things that’s going to be hit hard.” Local business owner Gloria Moyle said while the closure will be a blow to the community, she was confident the resilient spirit of the locals would shine through. “I can imagine there is a lot of shock the employees out there at BHP and my heart goes out to all of those families that have got no work at the moment,” the co-owner of Gold Bean Coffee on Hannan Street said. “It is a pretty tough time, but I think too that the people in the city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder are very resilient. “I think our community can rebuild their you know; it’s just they need that support and everybody to wrap around them and support them.” Ms Moyle said coming together in tough times was what the Goldfields did best. “As a business owner, we’re very mindful that times have been quite tough but the last couple of weeks in my own business there in Hannan Street, we’ve actually been quite buoyant,” she said. “So I want to remind everybody that we’ve gotten through some tough times, and we just need to do what we do best and that’s rise and shine.” She said she hoped there would be silver linings to the Nickel West announcement. “The reality is (local businesses) have been feeling pain for quite some time, we have got a lot of people that do fly in and out of our community, but we do have a lot of new people coming as well,” Ms Moyle said. “Some of these shifts could possibly mean more availability for housing for those who aren’t local, maybe that’ll open up the stock a bit so people can come and actually find somewhere to live. “I’m hoping that there could be something good out of this.”